The Halloween season is upon us, which means so are the candies that you or your child will be enjoying. It comes as no surprise that candy isn’t great for your teeth, but some candies are better than others. Let’s look at a few examples of popular Halloween candies and how they affect your teeth.
1.) Chocolate
As candy goes, chocolate is probably the safest bet if you want to protect your teeth. Chocolate is smooth and melts easily, so it won’t stick to your teeth for long and leave damaging sugars on the surface. Dark chocolate in particular has less sugar than milk chocolate does, which makes it an even better treat to enjoy if you want to prevent tooth damage.
2.) Candy Apples
Apples are typically thought to be good for your teeth because they can get in deep between the cracks and help clean your teeth. Unfortunately, when they’re put on a stick and covered in sticky, sugary caramel dip, they become the opposite of beneficial. Caramel is loaded with sugar and is extremely sticky, and when you bite into that delicious Halloween treat, all that harmful sugar is coming into direct contact with your teeth.
3.) Gummies
Gummy candies are one of the most popular treats in the world. They are also one of the worst for your teeth. They have much more sugar than chocolate and are much stickier. Since gummies are so sticky, the sugars and acids in them stay on your teeth longer and spend more time hurting your teeth’s protective layer. If you’re craving something sweet, try to avoid these and go for something better for your teeth, like chocolate.
4.) Hard Candies
Hard candies last a long time, so they’re in your mouth longer than most other candies would be. Because they’re in your mouth for so long, the sugars in them break down into your saliva and gets carried all over your teeth for the duration that the candy is your mouth. Not only do they hurt your teeth with the prolonged sugar exposure, they can also break or chip teeth if you try to bite down on one of them.
5.) Sour Candies
Sour candies are probably the worst regarding the health of your teeth. They can come in gummy and hard forms. What makes this type of candy especially harmful to your teeth is the ingredients. Sour candies often have citric, tartaric, or fumaric acid in them, along with a large amount of sugar. The acids in these candies break down and weaken your teeth worse than the any other candy on this list. If you care about the health of your teeth, be wary of how many sour candies you enjoy this holiday season.
If you’re worried about your or your child’s’ teeth this Halloween season, please give our office a call at (610) 489-5555.
